Easter is a popular time for many in the UK, it is a big Christian celebration dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus. In the New Testament of the Bible this event is said to have occurred around the third day of his burial. The lead up to Easter is called Holy Week and consists of four important days including, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Many people offer lunches at their home on Easter Sunday with the traditional meal being a roast lamb. They also partake in the giving and receiving of eggs which are a symbol of new life. Over 80 million chocolate Easter eggs are eaten during this time in the UK, that’s over £415 million being spent on chocolate eggs!
However different countries offer other celebrations. For example, in Finland, similar to Halloween, children dress up as Easter witches and go door-to-door in their neighbourhoods hoping to receive chocolate.
In Germany, there are several traditions such as lighting bonfires around sunset today (Holy Saturday) and having a small Easter tree decorated with hand painted eggs. Interestingly, they also call Maundy Thursday ‘Green Thursday’ as they would normally eat something green.
Easter in Hungary however looks a little different. Across central and Eastern Europe, the ancient tradition of drenching women with water still exists. This is because it is supposedly based around the women’s fertility in an effort to make them healthy and cleansed for the upcoming spring.
Overall, although Easter is celebrated in many different ways across countries, it marks the importance of the triumph of life over death with numerous religious celebrations. However even for non-religious people it has become a popular season for spending time with family and friends. With the added bonus of chocolate of course!
